CA1047114A - Electronic energy consumption meter with input transformer having single resistance terminated secondary winding coupled to c-mos switches driven by pulse width modulated control signals - Google Patents

Abstract

ELECTRONIC ENERGY CONSUMPTION METER WITH INPUT
TRANSFORMER HAVING SINGLE RESISTANCE TERMINATED
SECONDARY WINDING COUPLED TO C-MOS SWITCHES
DRIVEN BY PULSE WIDTH MODULATED CONTROL SIGNALS

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

In the exemplary embodiment, a double-pole double-throw-C-MOS analog switch provides output signals alternately 180° and 0° with respect to the output of a single secondary winding on a current transformer, which single secondary winding is resistance terminated. The switch control signal is pulse-width modulated in proportion to the line voltage thus making the D.C. component of the net output from the analog switch proportional to the instantaneous product of line voltage and line current or power consumption. This power consumption signal is then conventionally processed to provide data indicating the total accumulated energy consumption in the monitored circuit.

Description

~47~4 This invention is reIated to an improvement in eIectronic energy consumption meters which monitor eIectrical energy consumption according to the time-division or amplitude-mark-space:-modulation technique generally described in detail in my U.S. Patent No. 3,875,509 issuea April l, 1975, and U.S. Patent No~ 3,875,508 issuea April 1, 1975.
The basic time-division or amplitude-mark-space-modulation technique (it is commonly referred to by these and/or similar names in the artj is also disclosed in prior art such as U.S. Patent No. 3,602,843 dated August 31, 1971 Canadian Patent No. 801,200; Swiss Patent No.
472,677 and in various publications such as various of the published papers presented at the I.E.E. Metering Conference held in London, England, during September of 1972.
As in all electrical power/energy consumption meters, the general problem is to multiply two analog variables (electrical voltage and current flowing in the monitored circuit) so as to obtain a measure of power ~`.

(i e.~ the rate of energy consumption) and then to in-tegrate the ~ower consumption so as to obtain a measure of the actual energy consumption In time_division or amplitude-mark space modulation types of electronic energy consumption meters such as those described in my earlier referenced U S applications, the multipLication of the two analog variables is achieved by alternately switching the polarity o~ one of the s-ignals in response to a control signal that is pulse-width modulated in proportion to the other variable. The result is a pulse train wherein t~e instantaneous pulse-height is proportional to one variable and the instantaneous pulse-width is proportional to the other variable Accordingly, the D C component of the resultant width and amplitude modulated pulse train is proportional to power consumption In my earlier above-referenced U S. applications~
the inverted form of the ~irst signal variable was provided by including an active element inverter such as an amplifier having a gain of one. tFor instance, see inverter 52 in FIGURES 14 and 20 of my U S. Patent app-licatlon No.3~875~509 dated April 1~ 1975. Others have approached the problem in various manners such as by providing two oppositely phased secondary windings on the current kransformer.` (See, for instance, R.Friedl, W ~ange, P. Seyfried: Electronic Three-Phase Four-Wire Power-Frequency Converter with High Accuracy )47~4 over a wide range of use; I.E.E.E. Transactions on Instru-mentation and Measurements, Volume Ir~-2ol No. 4, November, 1971.
However, the provision of extra current trans-former windings, inverter circuits, etc., inevitably provides additional expense and potential error sources while also unnecessarily complicating the circuit complexity and increasing the power consumption of the metering circuits.
A substantial simplification in the circuitry required for this time-division or amplitude-mark-space-modulation multiplication technique can be effected by utilizing a ~ingle current transformer secondary winding in conjunckion with a double-pole double-throw switch control~ed by the output of a pulse-width modulator in proportion to the second variable as shown, for instance, in FIGURE 1 of Swiss Patent 472,677. However, it has been discovered that the simplified circuitry shown.in Swiss Patent 472,677 can still be considerably improved. In particular, the circuitry .shown in Swis5 Patent 472,677 requires the entire current transformer output current to be switched by an electronic switch thus producing an objectionable degree of switching transients, which, in turn, inevitably affect the accuracy of the overall multiplying circuit. Further-more, when such high magnitude currents are directly switched, the power consumption and rating of the electronic ~47~4 switch must be unnecessarily high. Finally, the transformer secondary winding load is substantially influenced by the input impedance of amplifiers, etc., so as to cause potential phase changes between the monitored primary transformer current and the resultant secondary transformer current actually switched to provide the amplitude and width modulated pulses.
According to the present invention, the short-comings of such simplified.multiplying circuitry as shown in Swiss Patent 472,677 are overcome by directly terminating the secondary winding of the current transformer with a fixed resistance of a predete.rmined low value. Since this resistive load o~ relatively low value is connected directly in shunk across the secondary winding of the current trans-former, only a relatively small current is actually switched by the electronic switch thus reducing undesirable switching transients and making it possible to use electronic switch components having a lower power rating. In addi*ion, since the resistive termination of the current transformer secondary is small compared to the effective parallel impedance of subsequent amplifier input circuits, etc., phase shifts be~ween the primary and secondary currents in the current transformer are minimized. Accordingly, it has been discovered that the provision.of such a resistive secondary termination, although a relativeIy simple change in retro-spect, produces a rather surprising and substantive improve-ment in the overall operation of such electronic energy consumption meters.

~7~4 The circuit of this invention is also suitably simplified so as to facilitate monolithic circuit integration and results in minimizing the power consumption in the current transformer load resistor and reductions in the necessary size and cost of the current transformer.
In one preferred embodiment, the unit is self-contained in that power for the circuitry is obtained direct-ly from one of the monitoring transformers (i.e. the potential and current transformers).
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more clearly appreciated by reading the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying dxawings, in which:
FIGURE 1 is a schematic diagram of an improved electronic energy consumption meter according to this invention;
FIGURES 2 and 3 are graphical presentations of wave forms for electrical signals in the circuitry of FIGURE 1 and useful in explaining the operation of that circuitry;
FIGURE 4 is a more detailed schematic diagram of a single phase two-wire watt-hour meter according to this invention;
FIGURE 5 is a schematic diagram of a single phase three-wire watt-hour meter according to this invention; and FIGURE 6 is a schematic diagram of a three phase three and four-wire watt-hour meter according to this in-vention.

1~47~4 The invention as shown in FIGURE 1 is an electronic energy consumption meter for monitoring the electrical energy consumed in load 1~ via an elec~rical circuit 12 having a line voltage VL and a line current IL. The primary winding 14 of the current transformer CT is connected in series with the line current IL while the primary winding of a potential trans~ormer PT is connected in parallel across the line voltage VL.
The current transformer CT has a single secondary winding 16 producing a current IS proportional to the line current IL. Since a shunt resistance 18 is connected directly across the secondary winding 16 of the current transformer CT, and since the resistance value of the shunt resistance 18 is considerably lower than the effective parallel resistance of other connected circuitry shown to the right in FIGURE 1, most of the secondary current IS flows through the shunt resistance 18 as shown by the arrow in FIGURE 1. Thus, to the right of shunt resistance 18 in FIGURE 1, there is a voltage substantially proportional to IL as indicated. The current actually flowing to the right of the shunt resis-tance 18 is thus considerably reduced. The exact value for the shunt resistance 18 would, of course, have to depend upon specific design parameters for a particular circuit.
In general, it should be chosen to be as small as possible while yet providing a voltage signal of sufficient magnitude 711~
thereacross to drive the remaining circuitry to the right of shunt 18 in FIGURE 1 at the lowest current values for which measurments are to recorded. Typically~ the resistance value of the shunt 18 may be approximately 50-100 ohms.
The secondary voltage on the potential trans~ormer PT is proportional to the line voltage VL as also indicated in FIGURE 1, Thus~ the voltage analog variable is presented to input 20 of a pulse-width modulator 22. The pulse-width modulator 22 may, for example, be of the type shown in FIGURES 14 and 20 of my earlier above referenced U.S.
Patent ~o. 3,875,509 dated April 1, 1975. In particular, the pulse-width modulator 22 is o~ a type which produces width modulated pulses at an output 24 wherein the in-stantaneous pulse-width of an output pulse is proportional to the corresponding instantaneous magnitude o~ the in-put voltage variable at the input 20 of the pulse-width modulator. Typically, the sampling frequency of the pulse-width modulator is fixed at some relatively high value (i.e , the sampling rate can be on the order of 10,000 Hz as compared ko a line ~requency of 60 Hz) so that a large number of width modulated pulses are produced at output 24 or each cycle o~ line voltage/current.
As shown in FIGURE 1, a double_pole double-throw analog switch 26 is controlled by the pulse-width modulator output 24 The inputs 28, 30 to the analog switch 26 are .

~4'7~

taken from the secondary of the current t.ransformer in parallel with the shunt resistance 18. The analog switch 26 is connected such that the two input lines 28 and 30 are controllably and alternatively connected to the two output lines 32 and 34 respectively in a first state A-A' of the switch 26 and then to the output lines 34 and 32 respectively in the second state B-B' of the switch 26.
If the switch ~6 were constantly left in state A-A', the output would be continuously proportional to IL
as shown in FIGURE 2. On the other hand, if switch 26 were continuously left in state B-B' then the output would con-stantly be proportional to -IL as also shown in FIGURE 2.
Actually, the state of switch 26 is controlled by the pulse-width modulated output of modulator 22 so that the actual output Vz is shown in FIGURE 3 as alternating between a signal proportional to IL and a signal proportional to -IL.
Thus, the net output Vz is a train of pulses which alternate in polarity and wherein the instantaneous magnitude of any given pulse is proportional to the line current IL while the instantaneous width or mark-space ratio of the pulses is proportional to the line voltage VL. As explained in great detail in my earlier referenced co-pending applications, this results in a signal having a D.C. component proportional to power consumption as also indicated in FIGURE 3. The sampling period Ts shown in FIGURE 3 is exaggerated fo~ purposes of 5D5a57 1~P47~4 illustration since in actual practice the period Ts would be very much smaller (i.e., perhaps 1 or so) of the line period TL~ 100 While switch 26 has been only diagrammatically shown in FIGURE 1, those in the art will recognize that in actual practice switch 26 would be realized as a plurality of active electronic switch elements controlled by the electronic output 24. Preferably switch 26 is realized as C-~OS devices such as conventionally available in the art or as C-MOS elements which are integrally formed in a mono-lithic integrated circuit together with other of the circuitry shown in FIGURE 1 according to conventional integrated circuitry construction techniques.
Referring back to FIGURE 1, the signal Vz having a D.C. component proportional to power consumption is then passed through a low-pass filter to isolate the D.C. component which is thereafter processed in an analog-to-pulse-rate con-verter 38 which effectively integrates the D.C. component and provides a unit-energy output pulse at its output terminals each time a predetermined fixed unit amount of energy has been consumed. These unit-energy output pulses are counted and possibly displayed in an accumulator means 40 which effec-tively counts the number of such unit-energy output pulses thus accumulating data indicating the total energy consumption in the load 10.

~471~4 It should also be appreciated that although the invention has been described so far in detail only with respect to a single phase circuit 12 in FIGURE 1, the invention is also applicable to plural N~-phase electric energy consumption meters, Usually, in such meters, Blondel's theorem is utilized so that it is only necessary to actually monitor the current and voltage variables in N-l of the phases of such a plural phase electric circuit. The details o'f such a monitoring technique are described in my earlier U.S~ Patent application No. 3,875,509 issued April 1, 1975. The present invention as disclosed in FIGURE 1 might be utilized in such a plural N-phase electric energy con-sumption meter 3 for instance~ by providing current and potential transformers, fixed terminating resistance for the current transformer~,secondary~ pulse_width modulator and doublepole double-throw switches as in FIGURE 1 for each of at lease N-l of the electrical phases. m e pulse -train outputs from the ~-1 analog switches might then be electrically summed together and presented in summation as a single input to the low_pass filter 36, etc., as shown in FIGURE 1. It should also be noted that the low_ pass filter 36 might be effectivaly combined with the A/PR
converter 38 if the A/PR converter 38 itself possesses low-pass filter characteristics, The A/PR converter shown in FIGURE 4 possesses such low-pass filter characteristics.
FIGURE 4 shows the circuit configuration of a single_ phase two-wire electronic kWh meter using a pulse-width-amplitude type (or time division) multiplier having no _ 10 --i~47~4 separate low-pass filter. It comprises a pulse~width modulator C03, an analog switch SW-l and a triangular generator formed by A2, C0~ and C05 and FF2. The output VG from C03 is a pulse-width modulated pulse train having a pulse width, proportional to the amplitude of vx, and a frequency fS determined by the triangular generator, usually about 6 kHz or more. Signal VX is proportional to the line voltage; signal vy is proportional to the current in the CT primary. The multiplier output signal vz is obtained by modulating + vy with VG. The phase in-verted signal + vy required for proper multiplication is obtained by a single terminating resistor R at the current transformer CTl secondary and by the double-pole, double-throw C-MOS analog switch SWl, which operates at the sampling frequency fS of about 6 kHz or more. Since fS~ fL where fL is the line fre~uency, the output signal vz is a sampled signal as shown in FIGURE 3. During the positive half period of the pulse width modulated signal from C03, the upper part of the switch S~l grounds in position A the negative side of vy and the output vz goes positive during the first pulse time-interval. In the next pulse time-interval, the switch SWl changes its position to B and the upper switch grounds the positive side of vy, thus vz becomes negative during this second interval.
Since the first pulse time-interval is a function of VX it is apparent -that vz is proportional to the product of VX
and vy.
This single resistor CT termination substantially decreases the AC-power dissipation in the current trans-former secondary load.

~7~4 It also permits the use of a single + 1% low TC resistor rather than two 0.1% matched low TC precision resistors per channel and allows a substantial reduction in the size and cost of the necessary current transformer.
The analog to pulse-rate converter in FIGURE 4 com-prises an up-down integrator Rl, Cl and Al, two compar-ators C0-1 and C0-2 and a flip-flop FFl. During a first time to-tl (TA) the capacitor Cl is charged by the average signal -vz and by an error signal V~ which represents the total system error signal referred to the integrator input.
At t = tl the voltage VC becomes equal to the reference voltage ~ V3 and the voltage VU at the output of the upper comparator C0-1 changes its state from zero to + V and sets FFl, thus vA changes the state from zero to + V. The switch SW-2 is now activated and it switches the C03 input to - vx.
Therefore vz changes polarity and the integrator starts to integrate down during tl to t2 ~TB) with an average signal + vz and with ~he error signal V~, Since vz does change the sign by switching of VX but V~does not, the error is added during TA and subtracted during TB. The error thus averages out during the overall measurement period TA + TB.
Also, since + vz and -vz are average D.C. type signals which are directly integrated, no separate low pass filter is needed to isolate D.C. components~
The proposed method of terminating a current trans-former with a single resistor can be applied also to any other combination or function of electronic metering. In FIGURE 5, for example, a configuration of a single phase-three wire electronic kWh-meter is shown and in FIGURE 6 a polyphase ~47~4 electronic kWh-meter is shown. AC power for the power supply is obtained in all versions from the potential transformer secondaries thus making all these units self-contained. The detailed operation of the circuits shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 iS directly analogous to that already discussed wlth respect to FIGURE 4 50 that further detailed discussion is not be-lieved necessary.
Although this invention has been described with respect to a few particular exemplary embodiments, those in the art will appreciate that it is possible to modify many features of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the improved teachings and features of this invention.
Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be in-corporated within the scope of this invention.

Claims (8)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclu-sive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In an electronic energy consumption meter for monitoring electrical energy consumption represented by electric current and voltage signals according to the time-division or amplitude-mark-space-modulation method, the improvement comprising:
a first transformer having a primary winding connected to receive one of said signals to be monitored and a secondary winding providing a first signal proportional thereto, a second transformer having a primary winding connected to receive the remaining one of said signals to be monitored and a single secondary winding providing a second signal proportional thereto, a fixed resistance of predetermined value in the range of approximately 50 to 100 ohms connected in shunt across said secondary winding of said second transformer, a pulse-width modulator operatively connected to receive said first signal and to produce repetitive modulated output pulse signals having instantaneous pulse-widths proportional to the corresponding instantaneous magnitude of said first signal, and a double-pole double-throw electronic switch operatively connected to be automatically switched between two possible states in response to said repetitive modulated output pulse signals, said switch having first and second inputs connected across the single secondary winding of said second transformer, and said switch having first and second outputs which are controllably and alternatively connected to said first and second inputs respectively in the first switch state and to said second and first inputs respectively in the second switch state in response to said modulated output signals whereby the resultant electrical signal across said first and second switch outputs comprises pulse-width-amplitude modulated pulses having instantaneous widths pro-portional to said first signal, instantaneous amplitudes proportional to said second signal and a D.C. component proportional to the product of said first and second signals and hence to the power consumption represented by the monitored electric current and voltage signals.

2. An improvement as in claim 1 wherein said first transformer is a potential transformer having a primary winding connected in parallel across said electric voltage signal to be monitored and said second transformer is a current transformer having a primary winding connected in series with said electric current signal to be monitored.

3. An improvement as in claim 1 wherein said meter is for monitoring plural N-phase electric energy consumption and wherein said first and second transformers, said fixed resistance, said pulse-width modulator and said double-pole double-throw switch are similarly provided for at least N-1 of the phases.

4. An improvement as in claim 1 further comprising a power supply electrically connected to said first trans-former for supplying electrical power to the circuits of said meter.

5. An electronic energy consumption meter for monitoring electrical energy consumption represented by electric current and voltage signals according to the time-division or amplitude-mark-space-modulation method, said meter comprising:
a first transformer having a primary winding adapted for connection to receive one of said signals to be monitored and a secondary winding for providing a first signal proportional thereto, a second transformer having a primary winding adapted for connection to receive the remaining one of said signals to be monitored and a single secondary winding for providing a second signal proportional thereto, a fixed resistance of predetermined value in the range of approximately 50 to 100 ohms connected in shunt across said secondary winding of said second transformer, a pulse-width modulator connected to receive said first signal and to produce repetitive modulated out-put pulse signals having instantaneous pulse-widths pro-portional to the corresponding instantaneous magnitude of said first signal, a double-pole double-throw electronic switch operatively connected to be automatically switched between two possible states in response to said repetitive modulated output pulse signals, said switch having first and second inputs connected across the secondary winding of said second transformer, said switch having first and second outputs which are controllably and alternatively connected to said first and second inputs respectively in the first switch state and to said second and first inputs respectively in the second switch state in response to said modulated output signals whereby the resultant electrical signal across said first and second switch outputs comprises pulse-width-amplitude modulated pulses having instantaneous widths proportional to said first signal, instantaneous amplitudes proportional to said second signal and a D.C. component proportional to the product of said first and second signals and hence to the power consumption represented by the monitored electric current and voltage signals, a low-pass filter connected to receive said pulse-width-amplitude modulated pulses and to provide a power output signal proportional to the D.C. component of said pulse-width-amplitude modulated pulses, an analog-to-pulse-rate converter connected to receive said power output signal and to effectively inte-grate same and to provide a unit-energy output pulse each time a predetermined fixed unit amount of energy has been consumed, and accumulating means connected to count the number of such unit-energy output pulses so produced and thus to accumulate data indicative of the total energy consumption represented by said electric current and voltage signals.

6. A meter as in claim 5 wherein said first transformer is a potential transformer having a primary wind-ing connected in parallel across said electric voltage signal to be monitored and said second transformer is a current transformer having a primary winding connected in series with said electric current signal to be monitored,

7. A meter as in claim S adapted for monitoring plural N-phase electric energy consumption and wherein said first and second transformers, said fixed resistance, said pulse-width modulator and said double-pole double-throw switch are similarly provided for at least N-1 of the phases and wherein the plural pulse-width-amplitude modulated pulses thereby produced are summed together and presented in summation as a single input to said low-pass filter.

8. A meter as in claim 5 further comprising a power supply electrically connected to said first trans-former for supplying electrical power to the circuits of said meter.